Morne Morkel, Ryan ten Doeschate in danger: Gautam Gambhir's aides to be sacked after India vs England series?
India fought hard to force a draw in the Manchester Test. However, the India vs England series still stands 2-1 in favor of the hosts. With the last fixture remaining, the visitors, at their best, can draw the five-match series. While India is in the hands of a young captain, the coaching support has been there for some time now. Gautam Gambhir took over as India's head coach in 2024 after India's T20 World Cup history. While the former Indian batsman has staged an impressive run in the white-ball formats, his tenure as the red-ball coach has been utterly disappointing. Apart from the substandard results, Gambhir's coaching era has been dramatic. Now, latest updates from the camp suggest that while Gambhir is in the clear, his choice of support staff is set to be sacked after this series.
India's Test run under the watch of Gautam Gambhir
India has played 14 Tests under the coaching of Gautam Gambhir and has lost 8 of them, managing a draw in two fixtures. The stint started with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh in the home series. However, everything went awry following the initial bling. India hosted New Zealand for a three-match Test series next. As the series unfolded disappointingly, New Zealand became the first-ever team to complete a 3-0 whitewash over India in their backyard. Moreover, India lost a Test series at home for the first time in 12 years.
India's hope for the WTC Final qualification came down to relying entirely on the Border Gavaskar Trophy down under. While the five-match series started with a win in Perth, the team lost three from there. As Australia reclaimed the BGT for the first time in a decade, India failed to qualify for the WTC Final, a first since the inception of the marquee event. The horrible phase witnessed the lean forms of India's senior players, captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
The disappointing run brought unfazed scrutiny for the seniors and Gautam Gambhir. Gambhir was given a free hand by the board to make selection calls. Moreover, the former Indian cricketer brought his choice of support staff into the camp, appointing Morne Morkel as the bowling coach, Ryan ten Doeschate and Abhishek Nayar as the assistant coaches. Despite getting all that he wanted, Gambhir failed to extract notable results, with the Indian Test scene dropping to an unprecedented low. While Nayar was sacked in the aftermath of the BGT, Morkel and Doeschate waded through.
The end of the last WTC cycle, furthermore, saw Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli quietly exiting the scene. In a sudden decision, the captain and the former captain announced their Test retirements during IPL 2025 within a span of a week. While the seniors were struggling with disappointing forms, the fans anticipated a comeback of the duo in the India vs England series. However, what arrived were their abrupt exits. Their retirements were also linked back to Gambhir as the masses predicted that the head coach phased the seniors out.
Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate likely to be sacked after India vs England series
The results have been as disappointing in the ongoing India vs England series as well. Fielding a raw team under the new leadership of Shubman Gill, Gautam Gambhir was touted as the central figure. However, results have not followed. Moreover, reports have emerged hinting at a potential tussle between Gill and Gambhir over the selection of Kuldeep Yadav and Shardul Thakur. The report details that while Gill wanted to play Kuldeep Yadav in the Manchester Test, Gambhir declined the request.
Now, apart from the noise off the field, the consistently subpar Test results have reportedly pushed the board to take stern steps. A source close to the BCCI has informed that the council is ready to let go of Morne Morkel and Ryan ten Doeschate before the team sets off on the next phase of India cricket schedule. Despite the underwhelming show by Gambhir, the head coach is not the target of the board because the authority does not want to disrupt the setting significantly, considering the team is in a transition phase.
"Gambhir's record has been disastrous in the longest format, eight losses and four wins in 13 Tests before the Manchester game. As of now, Gambhir stays, since the BCCI doesn’t want a change at the top, especially in a team which is in transition," the report said.
The report, meanwhile, has further updated that the chairman of selectors, Ajit Agarkar, is also on the radar of the board. The team's selection calls in the India vs England series, especially the repeated ignorance of Kuldeep Yadav, have irked the BCCI. Agarkar and his team might not enjoy the lucky fate of Gambhir and are on the line to be sacked following the series, along with Morkel and Doeschate.
"It is understood that the role of the two members of the national selection committee who are on tour with the squad, chairman Ajit Agarkar and East’s representative Shiv Sundar Das, has also come under introspection," the report revealed furthermore.
